Hide and Seek
by 1412 karasu
Summary: Some things should never be spoken. Two unknown figures affect everyone's fates. Who are these people? What are their pasts? Eventual KilluaXOC in the far far future , but not youi. You will understand. Everyone is affected-is it all for the better?
1. Prologue

I absolutely love Hatenkou Yuugi… And so if you have seen/read it too, you shall notice the similarity… XD Fine, not similarity. This is all the idea of the author of Hatenkou Yuugi, with only slight discrepancies. (The Prologue) I have modified it some though.

I am completely aware. No flames on that please. XDXDXD I'll try to be more creative in the future, but I love this scene, no matter how sad it is.

Also, it may not seem relevant now, but it will be. Eventually! I just want to build a base. :)

Chapter 1 will be added tomorrow around noon or something, just so you can wait a little. ;) Don't hate me too much for this, kay?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the HunterXHunter world. That all goes to Yoshihiro Togashi. End of this story, onto the next!

* * *

**Hide and Seek**

Prologue

"_Let's play hide-and-go-seek, Rosaria." A man's voice said._

_The little girl nodded, and put on a smile that she did not feel._

"_Now, I'm going to give you this rope, and I want you to hold onto it as I tie it to this branch. You can't leave it until I say so, okay?"  
Once again, the girl nodded. "Okay, Papa. I'll be waiting!" She said. But she knew. She knew that she was being abandoned. He would not come back._

_The girl's father turned to leave, and the girl reached out her unoccupied hand,-_Don't leave me_-only to let it drop a second before contact. Silently, she stood, watching that broad back disappear into the night._

_And so she stood, for hours. Silently, staring off into space with an intense look in her eyes._

"_Whom are you waiting for?" A voice snapped her out of her trance, and she looked up. "Your parents? Your friends?"_

"_No." Was her reply. Forever, she had been waiting. Waiting for something-what, she did not know, but now, today, under the darkness of the new moon, she knew the truth._

"_Then what are you waiting for?"_

_There was silence, and the man who had arrived came closer. With a defiant look in her eyes, she stared into the man's dark eyes. "I am waiting to die."_


	2. The Strange Duo

**Hide and Seek**

The Strange Duo

Blue eyes opened suddenly, as if they had been set on a timer. Surprised, the room's other occupant, who had been caught staring, jumped off the bed, only to land on the oak floor with a solid thump.

"Itai!" A voice shouted, causing the person in the bed to glare at the figure on the floor.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't stare at me for god knows how long. No matter how eye-catching I am." A voice said dryly, before the owner of the second voice got off the bed he was occupying.

"Hakou, you jerk! Don't open your eyes so suddenly, those can really surprise somebody!" The owner of the first voice complained, before getting up off the floor.

"Evidently," Hakou stated coolly, before beginning to wrap bandages around his bare torso.

Eyeing the bandages, the other boy began to get dressed as well. "Do you really need those?" he asked.

"I wouldn't want to freak out anybody else with my unnatural scars… Besides, these here are a sort of shield I hide behind, I guess. But why the sudden interest in my personal affairs, Luciano?"

Luciano huffed as a reply, and set himself to ordering room service.

Luciano's roommate just stared at him in amusement for a few seconds before he finished with the bandages and slipped a sleeveless blue turtleneck over his head. By the time the food was ordered, Hakou was ready, and was reclined against the wall, listening to music with his black headphones.

"Geeze, I swear. Music is going to rot this generation's brains." Luciano commented while taking out his own light blue headphones, earning himself an eye-roll that stated, _How contradictory. _He grinned cockily and waved off the insult, before sitting down Indian-style, leaning against the bed, with his eyes closed.

After about 30 minutes, there came a knock on the door. Hakou yawned a little, before turning off the music and taking off his headphones, letting them rest on his neck. Then he made his way over to the door and opened it, accepting food and giving up some cash.

He turned around, balancing the heavy tray, before setting it down on the floor in front of Luciano and himself.

By that time, Luciano had taken off his headphone as well and had hidden them who-knows-where on his body. Grinning, Luciano quickly began to chow down, talking between mouthfuls.

"So-_munch, much_-I heard that_-crunch-_the Hunter examination is today-_gulp, gulp_-and I was thinking-_much, munch, much-_that we should enter."

Hakou stared incredulously at his companion. "How can you expect me to talk to you seriously when your replies will sound like that?"

Luciano just gave Hakou a cheeky grin and replied, "Well, I'd expect-_gulp, gulp, aaah_-that you'd be used to it-_munch, munch_-by now."

Head to his hand, Hakou laughed slightly, resolving to forget about his companion's eating habits once and for all. "Anyway, that was our plan in the first place."

Luciano stared at him blankly, while Hakou stared at him, dismayed, sending over an I-can't-believe-I'm-still-with-this-idiot vibe.

"You know you love me," Luciano said, winking, before leaning back with a contented sigh, his plate now empty. "Anyway, let's go down to the-eeeh? You haven't even started eating!"

Glancing at his companion wryly, Hakou began to eat his breakfast that consisted of two eggs, sunny side up, toast, bacon, and orange juice. "Huh. You eat slowly and you have a boring taste in food. Why am I still traveling with you?"

"Anything seems boring, compared to your taste," Hakou began, nodding towards the plate that used to hold raspberry pancakes with strawberries scattered on top, completed with whipped cream and two large bananas that surrounded the misshaped pancake. "And you eat faster than the speed that is considered healthy. As for why you are traveling with me, it would have to be because you enjoy stalking people such as I."

"Such as I?" Luciano asked, eyebrows twitching. "You narcissist."

"I prefer the term self-confident." Hakou shot back without even glancing up from his food.

Unable to reply, Luciano laughed lightly, and quietly waited for his strange companion to finish.

* * *

The odd pair looked up at the greasy-looking restaurant. "Are you sure we're in the right place, Luciano?"

"Quite sure! My information network never fails!"  
"For some reason, I doubt that."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"No reason why you shouldn't. Now come on." Hakou said somewhat impatiently, before he briskly walked into the restaurant, leaving the protesting boy to follow.

"I want the… erm… steak combo, please." Hakou said, feeling slightly ridiculous. Not that he doubted his partner, but the simplicity of it amazed him.

"Grilled or broiled?" the fat chef asked suspiciously.

"Grilled over a low flame please!" Luciano exclaimed confidently.

"Comin' up!" The chef replied heartily, while a young waitress beckoned them to go inside another room.

As they had just eaten, Hakou didn't feel the need to eat the steak. However, the bottomless pit that was Luciano still felt that he was hungry, so while Hakou reclined on the floor, Luciano chowed down on the well-made steak.

"How do you stay skinny?" Hakou asked.

"Skill." Luciano replied sharply, before washing it down with some water. Silently, the two of them waited until they reached the -100th floor. Taking their badges out and putting them on the left side of their chests, they stepped out, only to be greeted by absolute silence.

"Luciano…." Hakou growled dangerously.

"Y-yes?" Luciano asked, backing away from his companion nervously.

"How early did your 'information network' say to get here with minimum waiting time?" he asked.

"Umm… About twelve o'clock." He replied, inching away.

"Then why are we here at FOUR?"

"W-well, the early bird catches the worm!"

"Luciano…" He growled again, before proceeding to chase him down the tunnel.

"You should've noticed that our numbers were one and two!"

"You _idiot!"_

Soon, their echoing screams could not be heard, and then the other contestants began to trickle in.

* * *

"Hakou?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind getting off me? I have an important announcement to make."

"And what would that be?" Hakou asked as he complied.

"I don't think we should have gone this far." Luciano commented, shaking off dust and standing up. Hakou looked around at their forest-y surroundings.

Calmly, he replied, "I suppose we shouldn't have."

"I've got some cards. You game?"

"Of course."

* * *

Satotz the examineer, along with all the remaining examinees, blinked in astonishment. In front of them sat two young boys, one with short, white-ish blonde hair and light blue eyes, and another with shoulder-length black hair with azure eyes, playing cards nonchalantly.

"Damn! I lost, you cheater!" The boy with white-blonde hair exclaimed.

"I didn't cheat until you have absolute proof." The black haired boy replied coolly.

"How else could you-oh, hello." Both of the boys turned to face the stunned crowd, showing them their numbers-one for the angry boy, two for the calm one.

"Ah. It seems that we have found our missing examinees." Satotz stated, regaining control first. "Anyway, we are in the Milsy Wetlands, also known as the 'Swindler's Swamp.' It comprises the next leg of the first phase. Please note that there are many crafty and voracious creatures unique to these wetlands. They'll trick you in a blink, and eat you with relish. Follow me and stay focused. If you are deceived, you are dead…. If you don't follow me, you will get lost."

"Ah, isn't this great! We haven't been disqualified!" Luciano exclaimed merrily to his companion, who was currently shooting daggers at him.

"That's great, but I won't forgive you. Sitting through twelve hours of playing Go Fish and Poker is not my idea of fun." Hakou shot back, both of them completely unaware of the examiner fiasco unfolding.

"You won all the Poker games, so you shouldn't be so stuck-up."

"And you won all the games of Go Fish. Now why does that not surprise me?"

Luciano shrugged. "It's a mystery."

Hakou just rolled his eyes and stood up. "Oh, look, somebody died." He said, blinking.

"Eh?" Luciano asked incredulously, before standing up as well, placing the cards back into his suspiciously spotless white hoodie. "So there is. I wonder what happened?"

Hakou shrugged. "That's the real mystery. Well, everybody's leaving right now. Let's get a move on."

"Roger!" Luciano replied smartly, before jogging with the rest of the pack.

* * *

"Wait! Hakou!" Luciano called, and stopped running. Turning around quizzically and cocking his head to the side in an unspoken question, Hakou jogged over to his waiting friend. "There's a fight going on-that strong joker guy is killing some people."

"Ah. You felt that too? Anyway, this should be interesting."

Silently, they watched the fight go on, drinking in all the knowledge they possibly could about the strong guy and any others that seemed interesting.

* * *

"404's got some real potential, as does 405." Hakou commented as they jogged on, following the trails left behind by the rest of the pack.

"I saw that too! What about 403?" Luciano asked, though he was already sure of the answer, as the two generally managed to think the same thing on the analytical side of battles.

"He's got some potential, but not as much as those other two. He is too hotheaded and not skillful enough. He seems to be more of a healer, not an attacker. You saw that too, right?"

Luciano nodded in reply, before moving onto a darker subject. "44's a real monster. His Nen is amazing…"

Hakou nodded as well. "I'm not as good as you are on that aspect, but I could still sense the amazing amount of Nen he has… And such battle skill and experience! We're not quite up to par with him yet, though if we spar him together, I don't doubt we'll give him a good challenge."

Luciano shivered slightly. "No doubt, with the way we are now, we would end up dead if we went alone." He said.

"Or seriously injured. But with more training, we're sure to surpass him." Hakou said.

"Do I detect some more narcissism?"

"No, I made sure to include you, didn't I?"

"I catch the undertone."

"I sincerely believe that you will surpass the Joker."

Luciano smiled widely. "Thanks, Hakou."

They ran on in companionable silence.

* * *

They caught up with the group with only five minutes to spare. "Lucky!" Luciano said while grinning, and gave Hakou a high-five.

"We shouldn't act so cheerfully yet. You never know, there might be some competition that we absolutely suck at-" Hakou began.

"COOKING!"  
At the sound of the voice, both of their heads shot up. "Cooking?' Hakou mimicked eagerly.

"Oh no…" Luciano groaned.

A fat man began to name what he wanted. "For me it will be… Roast pork! That's what I like best. I don't care what kind of pork it is, as long as you chase it in Biska Woods. Okay… Let the second round begin!"

Both of them ran off into the woods.

"I swear, if you get anywhere near the pigs after they've been killed I'll…" Luciano began.

"Eeh? But I'm a great cook! You said so yourself!" Hakou exclaimed quizzically.

Luciano looked away, thinking, _I just didn't have the heart to tell you that I dumped it all in the trashcan after nearly throwing up._

"W-well… It's just that you're so good that you'll raise the standards, causing others to loose!" Luciano fibbed, hoping his partner would believe him.

"Eh? You've never cared about other people before!" Hakou said stoutly, not giving up. Luciano sighed; Hakou was an enigma he just couldn't figure out.

Luckily for him, they were approached by a pack of what could only be the pork in question. "Oo, Great Stamp? Hit their heads, Hakou!" Luciano cried and then sat back, preparing a fire and a few large sticks to roast the meat on.

"What? You're not helping?" Hakou exclaimed.

"Nah, I was thinking that we should just work in turns. You kill, I cook. I'm wearing a light-colored sweatshirt, and I have no plans to get it dirty."

Hakou thought over that logic for a second, before he agreed and faced the oncoming pack. An icy look glazed over his eyes, giving him a hardened, serious look. By the time it was all over, Luciano had gotten a few fires started and some giant sticks to put the pork on. "Your speed at lighting fires still amazes me."

"I believe that was a record time for you," Luciano replied, before motioning for the other to bring over the pigs and put them over the fires.

Forty-five minutes later, the two of them ran back to the building and with a pig in their hands and a pig in their bellies.

* * *

Sushi.

What the heck was that?

Both of them stared at the table in front of them.

Suddenly, the cry of "Fish" rang out.

Both of them look at each other, the table, and the disappearing crowd, and simultaneously flopped down onto the ground.

"It's no use, Luciano."

"Better luck next year."

"Damn…"

* * *

"Sorry guys, I'm all full."

Number of contestants passed: None.

* * *

The examination balloon saved the day.

"Thank _god._" Luciano said, and Hakou nodded silently. Both of them glanced down at the canyon.

His remark caused some to glance at them disbelievingly, thinking, _how can this be any better?_

Both of them looked behind, and saw 99, 403, 404, and 405 all talking animatedly. Soon, the four of them jumped, quickly followed by some others, including the Joker himself.

Luciano and Hakou glanced at each other. Luciano grinned widely, and Hakou let out a little smile of excitement, before they both jumped off.

"Yyyaaaaaahhooooo!" Luciano exclaimed, taking up a freefalling position.

"Don't get too daring, you don't want to miss by accident." Hakou shouted, earning himself a glare as he proceeded to do multiple somersaults in the air.

"Show-off!" Luciano cried, as he landed on a string with his bare feet.

Hakou grabbed a different string, raising his eyebrows.

"Touché."

* * *

"I think I just saw heaven!" Luciano cried dramatically.

"Stop over-dramaticising. This egg is below the standard of egg that I cook." Hakou remarked self-righteously.

"Narcissist."

"Self-confident. And that narcissist comment is getting old."

"Never!"

"You wish."

* * *

"It might be time for the 42 contestants to know who I am. My name is Netero, and I'm responsible for the trials, and a member of the organization committee. I wasn't supposed to show myself until the final phase of the trails, but I came sooner than expected. Your anxiety is comprehendible, but I believe it's a good thing, so if you'll allow me among you for the time being…" The old man who had intervened earlier stated.

A weird blob person continued to supply information. "We should arrive tomorrow around eight at the next trial ground. We are waiting for them to contact us. You are free to do whatever you want until we arrive."

Luciano and Hakou looked at each other. "It's time to look at the interesting people." Luciano remarked, and they both nodded.

* * *

The two of them stared at the suspicious looking man with a rectangular nose as he walked away from numbers 405 and 403. "I don't trust him." Hakou remarked.

"Yea…" Luciano agreed, and then they turned towards the two. "Hello! My name is Luciano, and this is my friend, Hakou!"  
"Friend? I don't recall-" He began, before he was kicked in the knee by Luciano. "You-"

"Shh! Anyway, what are your names?" Luciano asked.

"I'm Kurapika," Said number 405. "And this is Leorio. It is nice to meet you."

"Ooh! Such manners! Anyway, how do you think the test is going to go?" Luciano rambled on animatedly, chatting with the two of them while Hakou spaced out, only adding comments when it he thought it was necessary.

It was only after an hour or two of talking with them that they said their goodbyes, and walked over to the corner where Hisoka was sitting, stacking up some cards.

As they approached them, it became evident that he was humming some song cheerily, with not a care in the world. An observation of the crowd indicated that they were clearly unnerved by the man.

"Hello!" Luciano said, plopping right down next to him. "My name is Luciano, and this is my friend-"

"Hakou." He intervened. "I can introduce myself, you know."

"It doesn't matter," Luciano replied, waving off his friend's annoyance. "Anyway, it's okay if you don't introduce yourself, because we already know you, Joker."

Hisoka raised an eyebrow. "Joker, you say?" He chuckled, and began to go back to his cards.

Shrugging, Luciano and Hakou got up and walked away, already having gotten all the information they could acquire from talking to the man.

* * *

"I'm a ninja, you know. And a great one at that. But don't tell anybody! I'm gonna be a Hunter so I can find the 'Hermit's Scroll.' And I'm so glad I have somebody new to talk to. Most people are just lazing about and worrying. Shows how weak they are, right?" The energetic ninja chattered.

"Ooh cool! A ninja? You've gotta teach me some tricks! And don't worry; your secret is safe with me! And what's the 'Hermit's Scroll?' Yea, most of the people here are real downers. The stronger ones like us are usually animated and lively, right?" Luciano chattered back.

Hakou could only stare in blank amazement, unable to keep up with the speed at which they were talking. Then he walked up to Luciano, whispered, "I'll go check out 301-he seems strong as well." And walked away, leaving the two cheerful people and their bubble of understanding.

* * *

"I'm Hakou. Who are you?"

"…." The pinned man gave no reply, causing Hakou to feel slightly awkward.

"What are these pins for?" As he was saying that, he reached out to grab one, but his hand was slapped away. Grinning slightly, Hakou turned around and walked away, back to the two chatterbox idiots.

* * *

"Killua?"

"Yes?"

"Have you got parents?

"Huh? Yes! Of course…"

"What do they do?"

"Assassins."

"Both of them?"

Luciano and Hakou hid from view, not wanting to interrupt the two's bonding moment.

Suddenly, both of them felt a malign presence. Both of them fought the urge to go and figure out the source, and only curiosity held them back.

"What's happening?" Netero's voice cut through the tension, and Luciano and Hakou relaxed. They collected themselves, nodded in silent agreement, and stepped out into the hallway.

* * *

(Killua's 3rd Point of View)

"What do you want? Got nothing to do until the finals?" Killua asked the old man venomously. He didn't trust the sneaky old man.

"Such coldness! I'm bored, so I was looking for someone to play with. It's your first participation in the trials, right? You like it?" Netero replied.

"Oi. It's not nice to form cliques." A black haired boy said emotionlessly.

"Yea! People can get sad! I want to be included in the conversation too!" A white-blonde-haired boy said, pretending to pout.

Gon, and Killua whipped their heads around, startled. Netero was startled too, for his head snapped up, and his eyes got slightly bigger.

"Ah, it's the infamous duo." Netero said.

"Infamous? I doubt what we did caused any serious damage." The black haired one replied, azure eyes cool, giving nothing away.

_What the-I didn't even sense their presence!_ Killua thought. _Just who are these two!_

Gon, oblivious to the tension in the air, exclaimed, "Oh! You're the ones who finished the course earlier!"

"Pin-pon!" The whitish-blonde replied cutely.

"Oi, Luciano. That noise is disgusting. Please stop."

"Aw, don't be such a spoilsport."

"Why not? It's my apparent job, anyway." The black haired one retorted, and then turned to the other three. "He's mad that I dragged him away from his conversation with Hanzo, the not-so-secret ninja."

Despite himself, Killua found himself drawn to the strange duo. However, he also felt slightly intimidated, though he couldn't fathom why. Their outer appearance showed them to be at a level beneath him, and their age was most likely the same as himself.

"Anyway, can we watch?" Luciano asked. "We had a feeling you were going to do something fun, and I was wondering if we could watch and learn. We're not very good fighters, you see, just good at sneaking up on people. Catches them off guard. Anyway, I'm Luciano and this is-"

"Hakou." The azure-eyed boy said slightly testily.

Killua relaxed at Luciano's explanation, and turned back to Netero. "What were you saying?" Killua asked, slightly intrigued.

"Do you want to play with me? If you win, I'll give you the title of Hunter!" Netero exclaimed.

* * *

Luciano and Hakou looked on, one cheering, one observing somewhat quietly.

Gon and Killua were both trying to obtain the ball that Netero was holding, but it wasn't working. At points, they laughed, others, they winced. Basically, they were having a fun time watching the three of them play. When Killua left, Hakou got up in an unspoken agreement and followed him out.

Hakou watched as Killua took off his shirt and walked down the hall. Suddenly, Killua bumped into two men.

"Man, you're sweaty. Hey, kid, could you at least say excuse me?" Person One said.

"Oh!" Said Person Two as he continued to walk away, ignoring them.

Suddenly, the two men were a cut up, bloody mess. Hakou observed the hand that Killua used, and noticed that his fingernails had become long and razor-sharp. _Ah, that's good to know._ Then, he silently left Killua to his anger and went back to the gym.

* * *

When he arrived, he was surprised to find that Gon was currently sleeping on the floor with a huge bump on his head.

Netero, who had just gotten off the phone, looked up at Luciano and Hakou, as if remembering them for the first time. "Would you two like to try, after all of that careful observing?"

"Okay! Let's both go at him, kay?" Luciano exclaimed excitedly, looking back at Hakou with a pointed expression:_ A little worse than Gon and Killua, okay?_ Nodding as a reply to both questions, he rushed at Netero and distracted his attention from Luciano. Meanwhile Luciano took a not-so-stealthy path to the back of Netero, and at the same time, they aimed for his ankles. Having noticed Luciano, he jumped to the left, and the competition was on.

* * *

"Think it worked?" Luciano asked.

"He was completely tricked." Hakou replied confidently.

While there was no solid reason to hide their skill from everybody, they enjoyed their privacy, and both of them felt the need to have an ace up their sleeve. (Hakou: Besides, I already _know _I can beat most of them. Luciano: Narcissist. Hakou: Simple fact, oh dense one.)

* * *

"Those two… Luciano and Hakou. They're up to something. I feel like they're hiding something important." Illumi stated.

Hisoka giggled. "Oh, how interesting these little fruits are! I hope they don't get too out of line…" The light tone of his voice contrasted greatly from his facial expression.

Oh, yes. Those two were under close watch by all.


	3. Trials in the Pillar

Thanks for reviewing!

**

* * *

Hide and Seek**

Trials in the Pillar

"**To all Passengers…. We are ready to land."** A mechanical voice proclaimed. Slowly, the airship landed on a giant pillar, and everyone tumbled off, trying to get used to being on land again. Mutters filled the air, with questions of, "What are we supposed to do?" and "Where am I?"

The blob man announced to the crowd, "You are here at the 'Shrewdness Tower.' It's here that the third trial round shall take place. Concerning the trial itself, here are all the jury's orders. Within a seventy-two hour time period, you'll need to get to the bottom of this tower. Alive, of course…" With that ominous prediction, the blob man re-boarded the zeppelin, not once turning back to face the examineers as it took off.

The forty participants remaining looked up at the quickly disappearing figure of the zeppelin.

"**May the trials begin! Good luck!"**

* * *

"Well, I doubt that we actually have to climb down the outside, or that would be too difficult for those who didn't include rock climbing in their training regiment. I also doubt they want to kill all of the contestants." Hakou said rationally, trying to think of how to get down.

"Flying is out of the question. And I doubt they'd want us to ruin the tower by digging, not to mention that then everyone would just follow the digger's man-made path, however slow it may take. That, and the ground does not seem uneven. So the only thing left is that this tower is hollow." Luciano stated, finishing off Hakou's reasoning.

"The panels are undoubtedly hidden, so I guess we'll just have to stomp around. Without making it obvious, of course." Hakou said.

They then proceeded to have a 'fight' in which they both stomped away in a huff. When Luciano felt himself fall, he snapped his fingers before he disappeared.

Hakou whipped around as he heard, and caught a glimpse of Luciano before he disappeared. Grinning, Hakou walked over, only to find that the trap door wouldn't open.

_There must be a limiter of some sort…_ He thought, and grimaced. No matter how much Luciano annoyed him, they were both on the same level, and strangely in sync with one another. Nobody else really understood them besides each other.

Hakou glanced over and saw that Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika were standing suspiciously. He overheard them say five trap doors… That was good. Silently, he stood on the other one and mouthed the countdown. "1, 2, 3!"

Suddenly, he fell down through the trap door. Prepared for this he landed partially upright, knees bent, in perfect balance. He looked around, and saw that Gon, Killua, and Kurapika were all in the same room as well. Leorio was nowhere in sight. _Perhaps he went to another room._ Hakou thought absently.

"Ehh? Leorio didn't make it!" Gon exclaimed.

"Aren't you glad I'm here?" Hakou said sarcastically.

"Ah! Hakou!" Killua said, and the others smiled as well.

"Hey, guys. There's no exit… But wait, look at this." Gon said.

They read the little bulletin board that hung on the brick wall right above a pedestal that contained watches.

**Choice of the way by the majority. **

**For the five candidates: **

**You'll have to reach your goal following the majority's choice.**

Hakou stared at the message blankly. "Majority?" He asked.

"Five?" Kurapika asked at the same time.

After they found five watches with X's and O's on them, and they confirmed their hypothesis that five people were needed for them to continue. "Still one guy… We won't be able to get out of here before another guy falls into this room?" Kurapika asked.

"**All right!" **the loudspeaker in the room proclaimed. **"This tower contains numerous passages. Each one contains its own crossways. You can only move forward following the majority's choice. It's impossible to pass if the choice comes from one guy only. The difficulty is that cooperating is the essential condition. On that note, just fight well."**

The four occupants of the room sighed. "All we can do is wait," Killua said, and he sat down. Hakou nodded and leaned against the wall, putting his headphones on and playing music softly. He closed his eyes, and they waited.

* * *

After what was around forty-five minutes, there came a clacking sound from above. Calmly, Hakou turned off the music and placed the headphones around his neck once again. Down came-guess who?-Tompa, the fat guy with a rectangular nose.

Greetings were exchanged, and explanations given. After a span of about five minutes, Tompa put on his watch, and suddenly a door appeared, opening for them.

"Ah, okay… When the five people are gathered, watches synchronize and the door appears." Kurapika said.

Suddenly, Tompa exclaimed, "Well let's go!" And so, they began their journey-

Which came to a sudden halt when they were approached by a metal door proclaiming that O opens it, X does not.

Everyone clicked their answer, and the door opened-though it stated that one person chose X.

"Ah! Sorry! I messed up pushing!" Tompa exclaimed heartily, causing him to get some suspicious glares his way. Nevertheless, they pushed on.

They were approached with a choice. Left, X, Right O. 4 O, 1 X. Everyone then explained to the confused Gon that most people unconciously choose left when faced with these types of questions. So, logically, one had to go right.

Once they cleared the door, they saw a square platform that was detached from both sides. On the other side, five people in hoods and sackcloth pants with shackles stood.

There was some discussion from the strange people that could not be heard, and then suddenly one of the men's shackles were released, and the hood taken off, to reveal a tall, strong-looking man.

The man proclaimed, "We are the jurors for the trial commission! Our mission is to fight against you! The matches are one against one, and one can only fight once! The order of the passage is free! You'll have to reach three victories if you want to go on! The rules are extremely simple. Everything is allowed! There's no limit! The defeat means the victory of his opponent! You only have to tell if you accept this trial or not! O if you accept, X if you refuse!"

All of them chose O this time, and so Tompa, with a pretty little speech, strode off onto the platform. The fight was chosen to be a death match, and Hakou watched, shocked, at the outcome.

"I QUIT!" Tompa exclaimed before his enemy could even move.

Jaws hanging, the four of them tried to pass Tompa's explanation to be only a hoax. When it turned out that it wasn't, they all blinked in astonishment at the returning figure. Killua was visibly shaking, trying to keep his cool. Meanwhile the prisoners chuckled at the discord.

Prisoners, 1. Group, 0.

* * *

The revelation that Tompa didn't want to be a Hunter was not all-together shocking. In fact, Hakou rather expected it. The weasel, from what he had gathered, had done this 35 times. His spirit ought to have been crushed a long time ago.

_It's a good thing it's not like that for the others._ Hakou thought as he watched Gon and Kurapika win their watches. He was surprised to find that he enjoyed them immensely. _Both of them show signs of great potential... Gon, with his ability to think quickly and adapt, and Kurapika, with his raw power and knowledge of many things._ He could see both of them becoming double-star hunters. Hakou quickly stopped thinking like that, though, because it made him feel as old as Netero.

Now, it is Hakou's turn.

"Let's do rock-paper-scissors!" He proclaimed loudly.

"Okay." His opponent said smugly.

Keeping calm, he said, "Rock, paper scissors!"

Both of them had rock. Once again, they fought. Same result. Then Hakou began to 'panic' and 'second-guess himself.' Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his opponent's reactions.

_If I follow her thought process, I am sure she will use paper. Sorry guys… I need to evaluate __all__ of you, so I have to get Killua to fight._

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

* * *

Hakou was quite impressed, to say the least, of Killua. One second was all it took to win, and he had no qualms with killing someone. _When he gets more training, he's going to be a demon._ Hakou thought with certainty, as he reclined on the couch to wait out their fifty hours.

He listened idlely as Killua, Gon, and Kurapika talked, and slowly drifted off…

* * *

Fifty-one hours and many choices later, they reached the final door. One last choice… Which one was the correct one? The one that allows five people to go, but is long and difficult? Or the other one that only allows three people, but is short and easy?

The clock ticked slowly.

Everyone rejoiced as they walked out triumphantly, each in their own way. Leorio greeted them all, and Gon and Kurapika rapidly explained what happened to the left-out man. Meanwhile, Hakou drifted away from the group, over to where Luciano was sitting, indian-style, leaned back against the wall slightly, listening to music.

Eyebrows twitching, Hakou asked, "How the hell is your sweatshirt _still_ spotless?"

Luciano turned off the music, put away his headphones, and looked back up, directly into Hakou eyes. With wink, he said, "Magic."

"**Third round. Number of Participants who reach the goal: 25 (Including one dead.)"**

_**

* * *

A/N: I know this can be pretty annoying that I'm going word for word in this one, but I tried to cut some out. This won't always be like this, just until the Hunter exam is over and done with. This has been extra bolded and underlined to catch everyone's attention. I sincerely hope this works. : D Also, I am quite aware this chapter is rushed.**_

_**Also, for a clue as to how this will run: Once I finish Chapter 4, Chapter 3 will come out. And on, and on. Got it? I have much more passion for this fanfic than my other one (thankfully!) so expect one to come out every week or so. But, as I have a busy busy busy summer, I can't always type everything up, so I hope that you will stick to the story! Feel free to leave comments and suggestions, or to point out what is wrong or right, or if my characters are getting out of character. : D Have a nice day!**_


	4. Are You Really?

**Hide and Seek**

Are You Really?

"_I am waiting to die."_

_The man looked down at her with a questioning look in his eyes, along with a malicious gleam that would forever haunt her. "Are you really?"_

_The girl nodded once, and then looked away from the man, continuing her silent suicide._

"_Then you won't mind if I hurt you?"_

_At that, the girl's head whipped around to stare at him. Slowly, ever so slowly, the man walked forward. Closer… Closer. The girl backed up slowly, glaring at the man, trying to escape the man while intimidating him as well._

"_I-I've killed before! So… So you better back off!" She threatened shakily. Suddenly, she gasped. The rope would not let her go any farther. Hurriedly, she tried to let go, but for some reason her hand would not obey her. Instead, it held on with a death grip. So all the girl could do was watch with widened, fearful eyes._

"_Oh? Didn't you say that you wanted to die? This will just speed up the process." The man said calmly. He was right in front of her. His cool, water-on-glass voice sent shivers up her spine. All her instincts screamed-_Get away! Get away!_-but her hand would not obey._

_Slowly, the man bent over._


	5. The Masks We Hide Behind

Pictures on my page! Also, I'm going away on a short vacation with no computers, So I won't update until Wednesday, at the latest. I haven't finished Chapter 6 yet, but this is just a farewell gift. Albeit one that's not the greatest. Or maybe it is. It's all up to you.

Once again, I thank all who have reviewed and favorited my story!

* * *

**Warning: **This chapter is slightly depressing and different than the others. But it also shows the similarities and differences between Hakou and Luciano. I really want to define them as characters, make them as real as possible.

Quote of the chapter (I'll do this if I want to.):

"'_Maybe, they had just gotten a little too uncomfortable when conversing with others without hiding behind layers and layers of masks. That without those masks of deceit they were stripped bare-exposed and weak, their souls an offering to the heavens.'"_

**

* * *

Disclaimer:** "Yoshihiro-san, can I get the rights to HunterXHunter?" Karasu asked hopefully.

Yoshihiro Togashi looked back at the wannabe with a look of disgust. "No." He said with a tone of finality, a flat glare and absolutely no hesitation.

... And that's how it went.

* * *

**Hide and Seek**

The Masks We Hide Behind

"The lottery will allow us to determine the Hunters and the Prey. Inside this box there are 24 numbered cards. These numbers are just the ones that were given to you in the beginning of the competition. You will all pick a card." A weasel-faced man said.

Everyone chose, the atmosphere tense. The rules were explained, and a cheery girl who tried to give them encouragement seemed out of place.

On the boat, Luciano and Hakou showed each other the other's number, for reference. Hakou, who got number 362 as a target, would not attack Luciano's prey, number 34, and vice versa. If they had gotten one another, they would have given up one of them and just stolen 3 more-no big deal. There was enough small fry that giving up theirs meant nothing to them.

"You ready to run wild?" Luciano asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Only Ten, okay? Moderate yourself. There's a high probability that there will be hunters that oversee each examinee. And wear a disguise of some sort. We stick out a little too much. Makes it easier for those who hunt us to find us. Also, stay clear of Joker and Disguise Guy." Hakou cautioned.

"Roger!" Luciano said smartly, saluting Hakou.

Then, they were both let off the boat and the game was on.

* * *

The first thing Hakou did as he got onto solid ground was to sprint all the way to the center of the forest. Unfortunately, his plan to shake off anyone that was on his trail failed, because he still felt the incessant pressure of someone's eyes trained on him. Hakou looked about him inconspicuously, and was surprised to find a tall man in a black suit watching him from behind a tree.

_Must be the Hunters. What a stupid attire to wear in the middle of the forest._ He thought, and resolved to ignore the man. He then took out beige shorts and a dull orange t-shirt from his black cargo pants. Once he had changed, he took out washable brown hairspray and sprinkled it all over his raven-black hair. This was for the aireal view. If the one hunting him looked from above, they would not see a short, black-haired boy, but a short, brown-haired person. While not the best disguise, he used it all the same.

As his shorts did not have big enough pockets, he quickly made an inconspicuous marker, and hid his clothes and headphones underneath some leaves.

_Hopefully, I can now focus wholly on hunting, without having to feel restless eyes on my back._ Hakou thought._ Now, who the heck has number 362?_

* * *

Luciano walked along, humming. He'd already seen the man who was following him, so now he was thinking up a plan to 'accidentally' bump into the guy. Going about with nobody to talk to was so **boring**. _If only Hakou was here, I could annoy him some more. _He thought wistfully. Truth be told, he had missed the cool, slightly narcissistic boy. They'd been traveling together for years, and they knew each other inside and out, barring whatever events that had happened before they'd met.

Also, their warring personalities, fighting types and styles gave them surprisingly good teamwork, and they knew they could count on the other. _It's as if we're brothers,_ he mused. _But I've got to focus._

"Yosha!" he cried out suddenly, and slapped his cheeks with his hands. "Let's go!"

Before the Hunter following him could do anything, Luciano happily ran over to the bushes and promptly tripped over the man. "Itai!" he cried.

The startled man got up off the ground and helped the boy up. "Are you okay?" The man asked.

"Yes! Sorry about that… Hey, I don't recognize you. Are you like a proctor or something? That's cool! Well, please take care of me!" Luciano chattered, and then walked away, a small smirk on his lips.

_Let the games begin._

* * *

Hakou scampered up the tallest tree he could find, and tried to spot other people on the island. Actually, he _had_ scampered up the tallest tree he could find-two hours ago. He had long since realized that locating people from above was futile, but he couldn't bring himself to care enough to descend from his perch.

Sighing, Hakou instinctively reached for his neck and leaned back against the tree, planning on practicing his Ten as quietly as he could while listening to music. So he was surprised to find that one, he did not have his headphones, and two the tree was not behind him-in fact, it _used_ to be to his left. Now, he was freefalling, head first.

Quickly, Hakou did a half of a flip and bent his legs, preparing for impact. He landed on the ground gracefully, all things considering. Giving the tree that had been his host for the past two hours a rueful glance, Hakou began to search the island.

* * *

Luciano skipped along merrily, occasionally calling back to his stoic guardian. He had yet to encounter another examinee, and he was, quite frankly, getting annoyed. Well, only a little, and all of it was aimed at Hakou, for lack of a better target.

"Ne, Hunter-san! What's your name?"

Quiet.

"How old are you?"

Nothing.

"What type of Hunter are you?"

Silence.

Then again, maybe he did have a target.

* * *

Hakou felt an additional four eyes [another person and the hunter following that person] on him. _Just great._ He thought sarcastically, already thinking up as much possible ways to win without giving too much away. Then, he frowned slightly.

Really, what _was _the point? The most important reason had been forgotten long ago-true, they enjoyed their privacy. True, they wanted an ace up their sleeve. But at this point, Hakou was beginning to suspect that it was pure habit. They had done this [hiding _or_ flaunting their abilities, depending on the situation] repeatedly for the past few years for reasons that ranged widely. Maybe, they had just gotten a little too uncomfortable when conversing with others without hiding behind layers and layers of masks. That without those masks of deceit they were stripped bare-exposed and weak, their souls an offering to the heavens_._ Or perhaps both of them had gotten addicted to the adrenaline rush they felt when they had to stretch their minds to accommodate for whatever character they had chosen to be-from the shy, sickly person or double star hunters. Most likely, it was a combination of the two.

Hakou's philosophical musings were put to an abrupt end as he sensed one of the owners of the eyes draw nearer than he felt was comfortable. _Think. Hakou. Age 12. Normal boy taking the Hunter Exam with his best friend, Luciano. Slightly above average strength, aggressive fighting style, best at close-range combat. Agility and stamina above average as well, but not enormously so. Normally acts cold towards others. No special skills to notify anyone about. How would he react to this situation?_ His thoughts ran through his head rapidly. _Most likely, he would see the attacker out of the corner of his eye at the last minute._

He saw the face of his attacker then-Number 89, if he remembered correctly. That guy was the one who had exited before him, so he remembered the number. Suddenly, number 89 leapt out of the bush. Hakou, staying in character, looked over his shoulder and widened his eyes in surprise at the oncoming person-

_He will instinctively dive left, where things are much clearer, making close combat easier._

Hakou dove left, into double foreword roll, before getting up and facing his opponent. Number 89, now recovered from the unsuccessful attempt at a sneak attack, turned towards him with a pointed stick in hand.

_If close combat is not his enemy's preferred method of fighting, he will most likely try to take away or destroy the object that the enemy is using, therefore evening out the playing field some._

Hakou looked around wildly, trying to find a sizeable rock. He picked it up and ran foreword, brandishing it like it was a shield. Once he was close enough, he threw the rock at the man's wrist, which had been shown when he made a move to stab Hakou. Jerking in surprise, Number 89's movements stopped long enough for Hakou to be able to hook his legs around Number 89's, causing the man to loose balance. Quickly, Hakou put his foot on the man's hand, and 89 was forced to let go of his chosen weapon. Grinning, Hakou took the stick and broke it in half, before throwing it into the forest somewhere. During that time, 89 had gotten up, and with an angry "Raaaaahhh!" he aimed a punch at Hakou's face.

_Now that he is fighting the preferred way, he will try to counterattack and lead the man somewhere where he could gain an advantage. His strength is no match for a man of numerous years more._

Hakou dodged beneath the punch and threw some dirt into his eyes, to anger him. Dodging a wild left hook, he slammed his right hand into the other man's stomach. Then, he quickly began to back off.

89's eyes watered and became puffy as he angrily rubbed away the dirt. "Get back here, you brat!" He bellowed. Quickly, but not too much so that the wheezing, squinting man wouldn't loose him, Hakou scampered off into the forest. The river that he remembered seeing from his perch on the tree was there, much to his relief.

Turning around, he stuck his tongue out at 89, before throwing some pebbles he found on the riverbed. Laughing, he crossed the river, while fighting the surprisingly vicious current. Finding a sudden hole near the middle that almost made him fall over, he grinned. It would take some maneuvering, but it was plausible.

_Once he has located the place he desires he will want to goad the man as much as possible, and make sure he does not notice it, if said place is obvious. He must keep up his act, and show no signs of nervousness. He will jeer at him, and throw whatever is at hand._

Laughing to near hysteria, Hakou faced the enraged man, pelting him with stone after stone. The man drew closer to the hole… Closer... One last push-

_To maximize the effect of the trap, he will distract the man right as he is upon it. This will take away the enemy's concentration of his feet._

Suddenly, Hakou snapped his head towards the right, upriver. His laughter died away, and a look of terror beset his face. The man, still advancing, looked upriver as well, with an angry but slightly confused expression on his face. Suddenly, anger and confusion turned into shock-

_He will turn around and give the man a last, sly grin, making him know that he has been fooled. That he was in control all along. Then, he will walk away, holding whatever he had stolen when he had first made contact-_

Hakou walked away, sly grin still fixated on his face, clutching the man's number in his right hand.

His mind screaming, _Help me! Help me!_

* * *

Luciano dodged the arrow that was sent his way neatly, as he had been doing for the past minute or so. 141, whom he assumed had drew his number from the lottery, had been attacking him repeatedly for the last fifteen minutes, changing weapons whenever one didn't seem to be working out. _You must admit,_ Luciano thought cheerily, _that he is quite adept at a lot of things._

He dodged another arrow, and thought over whom he was acting as. _Luciano, age 12. Very agile, and good at shadowing people. Participating in the Hunter Exam with his best friend Hakou. Very flighty, talkative. Below average arm strength, but has good leg strength. Fast. Stamina is okay, at the level of an average human with no training. A little bit of a coward. Doesn't really think much, and prefers medium to close range attacks._

Closing his eyes for a second, before opening up with a start, Luciano was in character. Gone, was the trained twelve year old. Welcome, new character.

Luciano looked around frantically, trying to locate a large rock that he could carry. He made a mad dash towards one once he did, smiling in relief. He picked it up and smiled. Good. Now he would have a chance.

His legs shook slightly as he faced 141. _I can do this. _He thought, giving himself a mini confidence booster. Then, he waited until 141 had shot another arrow, before he sprinted forward, hoping that the man wouldn't be able to load his arrow in time.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. 141 fired-and missed, instead hitting a tree to Luciano's left. Adrenaline pumping, he reached the man and kicked the bow in the man's hands with all of his strength. There was a crack, and it was split in two. Then, eyes frantic, Luciano bashed the man's head. Once. _He's only dazed_. Two. _Come on, come on_. Three. _Almost there. _Four. _Out like a light._

Suddenly, Luciano collapsed on the ground next to the fallen, weary to the insides of his bones. _Am I really ready for this?_ He wondered despairingly. With a painstaking effort he forced himself to rummage through the man's pockets until he found his number. Getting up, he turned around and jogged off crookedly.

Twenty minutes later, that Luciano was gone. Back came the normal one. The strong one. Completely different then the Luciano he had just pretended to be.

He hummed tunelessly, with an uncharacteristic lack of cheer. He hated the feeling of loosing himself, even when he was in complete control of his actions. But the excitement, the fast pace of blood, and the way his thought process was rewired and reenergized, was intoxicating. Alluring. Something that would haunt him. Even Hakou would not understand.

_Congratulations, Luciano. Wait to stick to the plan._

He laughed out loud, humorlessly. The depression would go away, he knew. Eventually.

Just… Not now. Not when another mask had been put on and ripped away.


	6. The Final Test

**A/N: Thirteen people passed now, because Luciano, Hakou, and their two opponents had to be added. Also, the conversation with the examineers is by the book. I didn't realize they didn't talk about the candidates until I finished, and then it was a waste to delete it. XDXD**

**If you have not guessed, this is all by the manga.**

**

* * *

Translations:**

**Teino sha-Imbecile**

**Chijin-Idiot**

**

* * *

**

**Also, sorry for the delay. My dog died, so I'm really sad. :'(**

**RIP Maxwell. You lived a happy life.**

**

* * *

**

**Hide and Seek**

The Final Test

"362, where are you?" Hakou muttered, angrily eating some berries he had deemed safe. Unfortunately for him, three days had gone by, with not a sighting of Number 362. He had located and identified each and every person besides Luciano, Joker, and 362. _Really, how many places can this person hide?_ He thought despairingly.

He continued to walk along, muttering and munching, before all of a sudden he felt someone ram into him, knocking him on his back. Rubbing his head, he was about to demand an apology, when the man ran off.

Getting up off the ground and dusting himself off, Hakou looked around and tried to locate what the man was running from. However, as he put his left foot down, he heard a strange _crunch_ing noise coming from below. Perplexed, Hakou looked down to find that he had stepped on a number tag that the man had dropped in his haste.

Hakou picked up the tag, and to his complete shock, he found that the split-in-two tag bore the number '362.'

Shrugging his shoulders, blaming it on the man's karma, Hakou continued to tour the island.

* * *

Number 34 lay before Luciano, beaten up and shell-shocked. Luciano was surprised as well, at his good luck and the state of the man before him.

"I don't know what happened, but I must say this is A-OK for me," Luciano commented, grinning. He quickly searched the man, and found his tag in his hood. Smiling in relief that the attacker did not want to take 34s' tag, Luciano ran off towards where the airship would be, and a place to stay for the next two days.

* * *

"**In a while, the fourth round of the trials will end. All participants are invited to come back to the starting point of the test. The participants must make themselves known in the time of one hour. After this delay, the ones who haven't shown themselves will be disqualified. Please pay close attention to this information. Tags stolen from now on will not be counted. Verifications will be made, and people who break this rule will be disqualified." **A mechanical voice sounded, and thirteen people gathered on the beach from their hiding places.

"Hakou!"

Hakou looked to his right, and his eyes went wide. Quickly, he dove forward, just in time to escape a possibly life-threatening bear hug from Luciano. "Teino sha!" Hakou cried, and proceeded to run around the beach, an energetic Luciano running after at top speed.

Others watched in amazement and amusement as the two seemingly unaffected boys ran around. The airship drew closer.

* * *

"Out of the thirteen left, we have eight new guys?" Netero exclaimed heartily, "Hohoho! This year is a new year!"

"Does that often happen?" Buhara asked, a mouth full of cake.

Netero shook his head. "No, not really. Often, there's a gap before this. Ten years pass without any new guy succeeding. And suddenly, we have a lot of new guys with a great future head of them! It's the fourth time it's happened since I've been president." Netero said energetically.

Menchi got an incredulous look on her face. "How old is the president?" She asked the blob man.

The blob man put on a clueless look and whispered, "It's been almost 20 years that he's' been telling me he's 100 but…"

"By the way, what are we going to do for he last round?" Satotsu asked in between a bite of cake.

"That's true, we've been told nothing!" Buhara said thoughtfully.

"It's wonderful to talk about the great newbies, but the last round hasn't begun yet." Menchi said, arms behind her head.

"Yes, but… I'd like to make them hold unusual fights," Netero began, to the others confusion. "To set up this round… I shall begin by meeting them one after another."

Once again, Menchi asked blob man, "What does he mean?"

Blob man shrugged, and said "That… Even I don't have a clue about what the President is thinking."

* * *

Hakou sat down, defeated by Lucianos' antics. He half-listened to the announcement that stated people would come into the reception room one by one. He just sat there, next to the strange bubble of energy, wishing he wouldn't be called any time soon.

He took up Luciano's' position of leaning back against the wall, sitting pretzel-style, and whispered to his companion, "You're overdoing it. You're upset about something. What is it?"

Luciano looked at him with an innocent expression on his face. "Whatever do you mean? I'm fine…" He trailed off at Hakou's' look, and shifted his eyes away. "I… I don't want to talk about it."

Hakou nodded. "As long as you tell me the truth, not place a stupid energetic mask on your face."

"**Candidate #2."**

Hakou left Luciano leaning against the wall, and did not look back.

* * *

Hakou sat silently in front of Netero, waiting for him to begin.

Netero finally broke the silence, slightly unnerved by the azure eyes that gazed at him with such single-minded intensity. "Above all else, why do you want to become a hunter?"  
"Being a hunter unlocks a lot of doors." Hakou replied immediately, not breaking eye contact.

"I see. Among the other twelve candidates, which one retains the most of your attention?"

Hakou thought for a second. "I'd say #44. He's really dangerous. Of course, #1 retains my attention, but I've been with him for a while, and I know him through and through."

Netero nodded. "Last question. Among the twelve other participants, who do you want to fight against the least?"

"#44. I am not strong enough to beat him." Hakou answered.

Netero scratched his head. "Good. You can go back."

* * *

Luciano fidgeted at the silence, and forced himself to break the awkwardness. "So... What is it?"  
"I am just going to ask you a few questions. Now, why do you want to be a hunter?" Netero asked, as if the awkward silence never happened.

"Same as Hakou… Er… #2."

Netero raised his eyebrows. "You know how he answered?"  
"Yes, we've been traveling with each other for a while."

Netero nodded and continued. "Who do you want to fight?"

Luciano scratched his head, thinking. "Hmm… I'd say that I want to fight #2 again, to get even with him. But… I'll say that I want to fight #403, as I think I can compete with him."

"Okay… Who do you not want to fight against?"

"I don't want to fight #44."

"Very good. You may leave."

* * *

"**Note for the candidates! We'll arrive in a while at the place where the last round stands. If you win, you'll become a 'Hunter.'"**

"I hope everyone has rested well. We are here in a hotel managed by the committee. Until the end of the final round, this place will be yours. The last trial will be in the form of duels of 1 vs. 1. The groups are the following." Netero removed a cloth that had been covering a canvas board to reveal two strange-looking charts.

On one, there were two brackets, in which the majority of the remaining contestants were. The other chart held only four:

**1 vs. 2**

**Winner of the first round versus 310**

**Winner of the second round versus 29**

Netero began to explain the two charts. Apparently, only two people would fail, unless you were disqualified. Disqualifications add to the people who do not pass. Basically, don't kill someone, win your match, and you're good to go.

Meanwhile, Hakou and Luciano sat next to each other in the back of the room, whispering furiously. Luciano had recovered, as proven by the rapid speed of words pouring out his mouth.

"We don't know how 310 fights. The person you are right now is strong, and I'm fast. So we don't know who should give up, and fight 310. Hakou… What should we do?" Luciano whispered, panicked.

"Relax. I have an idea." Saying so, Hakou got up and walked behind 310 stealthily. He put his hands around 310s' neck.

310 reacted violently, and flipped Hakou. He lay there, dazed. 310 looked at him with inflamed eyes. "What were you doing?" 310 demanded

Smiling nervously, Hakou got up and backed away. "Nothing, nothing. Sorry 'bout that."

Then, Hakou walked over to where Luciano was. "I'll forfeit, okay?"

Luciano nodded. Hakou was best at evaluating people's strength, after all. Even though he didn't follow how Hakou came up with that decision, he trusted him.

* * *

"You must admire Gon's perseverance." Hakou commented.

"And you must admire that Joker is quite in the know." Luciano said.

Both of them nodded, and they stepped onto the stage.

Luciano waved to the one who had looked over him, and the man waved back. Then, he turned to look at Hakou. Both of the stared at each other, Luciano with some trepidation, Hakou with an icy, unwavering gaze.

"Third match, start!"

"I give up."

Everyone stared at Hakou in shock, and, hands in his pockets, he walked off the stage. His bored, but icy expression never left his face. Luciano shook his head, grinning. _This guy sure knows how to put up a show._

* * *

**Killua's point of view**

I looked on at their match in anticipation. Something about those two drew me, and their match was sure to be interesting, right?

_Well, apparently not._ I thought dryly. _Then again… What was I expecting? Certainly not this. They are probably up to something… Something to do with that attack on the other guy earlier. Ahh, I shouldn't be worrying about them. Gon is seriously injured. I still have my match. _

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I would get to see Hakou's' next match anyway. I focused on the matches once more, with slight impatience.

_He won't give up this next one, right?_

* * *

Hakou sighed. He was truly in a bad situation. 310 was a better opponent for Luciano. _But I know how shook up he gets because of these._ He thought ruefully, shaking his head slightly.

He stared at his oversized opponent, who had already been advertising victory to everyone else. He put on his best 'I don't care what you think let's just get this match out of them way' look, while changing his stance from a carefree, hands-in-pockets stance to a fighting one.

"Match, Hakou versus Gimpkin! Start!"

"Gimpkin? What kind of name is that?" Hakou taunted, while Luciano, sitting in the audience, began to laugh loudly, rolling on the floor. Hakou glanced at Luciano with a slight smile on his face, before turning back to his red-faced opponent, who had just been standing there.

"Oh?" Hakou said, eyebrows raised. "Weren't you going to 'pummel me in three seconds flat?' It's been thirty seconds already, and I'm wondering when you are going to start."

"Why you-!" Gimpkin roared, and charged straight at Hakou.

_Hmm… In this disadvantageous situation, he would probably use his smaller stature to get around this bull-man. Maybe the situation isn't as bad as I thought._ Hakou thought, frowning slightly. At the last second, he ducked out of the oncoming man's way, and let him snatch empty air, before he slammed his elbow into the back of the man's neck.

Hakou thought the man would be dazed, but he showed no signs of being affected. Whirling around, Gimpkin snatched the arm that Hakou had used to hit him with. Hakou's eyes widened, as he realized the situation he was in.

_Okay, calm. Hakou would use this to his advantage and get closer… He would get the man's grip off his hand._

Quickly, Hakou bit the inside of the man's wrist, right on the giant vein. Already accepting the inevitable, he braced himself for the knock to the head the man was sure to give him.

**Wham!** Hakou felt a little dazed by the furiosity behind the punch, but he held on. A few punches and kicks later, the man shrieked and let go of Hakou's hand.

Hakou skipped back, out of reach, and spit out the man's blood that was in his mouth. "You know," He began dryly. "You could have just broken my arm there."

The man twitched when he realized his mistake, but covered it up with a huge bluff. "I just didn't want this match to end so soon… Your snarky comments from before really ticked me off, ya know?"

Hakou didn't reply, and shot after the man. Gimpkin tried to grab Hakou's arm again, but this time, he was ready. He dodged, and hooked his feet around the larger mans, causing Gimpkin to fall over and hit his head on the hard floor.

Hakou leaned over Gimpkin. "No, I don't. You can't be a good fighter if you let comments like that go to your head, Chijin."

Hakou stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off the stage.


	7. Lullaby

**Hide and Seek**

Lullaby

"_Oh? Didn't you say you wanted to die? This will just speed up the process." The man said calmly. He was right in front of her. His cool, water-on-glass voice sent shivers up her spine. All her instincts screamed-_Get away! Get away!-_but her hand would not move._

_Slowly, the man bent over._

_The girl trembled. "Why are you doing this to me? I'm not worth anything, you have nothing to gain from hurting me!" She cried desperately, now eye-to-eye with the strange man._

_He grinned wickedly, twirled one of her stray locks around her finger. "What if your cries of pain excite me?" His grey eyes held a level of insanity in them, made the girls' knees shake and her lower lip quiver. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, and the tears came._

_Quietly, staring into space, silent tears streaked down her face. She made no move to remove them, letting them gather at the base of her chin and slowly dripping down onto her new dress. For some reason, the man was not moving. The girl didn't care anymore. She was alone._

_Dead._

_To the world, and to herself._

_And there was nothing she could do to stop it._

"_Little child, why do you cry?" The man's tenor voice broke out. She looked at the man's blurry figure, trying to make sense of what he was singing. "I have this here sweet lullaby. There's a world out there, for all to share. All to share in happiness. The ocean's far, and wide. The little seagulls fly. Fly free, little child, fly free of your memories. Clear your mind of thought…"_

_Still crying, her high voice cracking, she joined in. "Little one, why do you cry? Don't you see the happiness? There's always the great unknown, little one, it's calling to you. Wipe away your tears, leave my arms, grab your star and hold on... For you will find your happiness."_

_She didn't know why the man was singing, or why she joined in. The haunting lullaby her mother used to sing to her just tumbled out of her lips on their own accord. The bittersweet notes caused her to feel tiny pains in her heart-was it regret? She didn't know._

"_I'm sorry, little girl," She had almost forgotten his presence, and it caused her to jump a little in surprise. "That was the only way I could think of to get you to cry."_

_Slightly self-conscious now, the girl wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "Why would you want to do that?"_

_The man smiled a little bit. "Because tears are a good way to cleanse your soul."_

_The little girl was not, under any circumstances, stupid. While the man was being nice now, she could not forget that cruel glare, the insane look in his eye, or that calm, smooth voice that set her teeth on edge. She would not let her guard down. "Cleanse my soul?"_

_The man nodded. "Yes, cleanse your soul. It helps you forget all the bad things that have happened, makes you feel better."_

"_I don't feel any better," The girl said. "And I don't want to forget. Not ever."_


	8. Bloodthirsty

What's up, readers? How's life? Mine's going swell! XD

Sorry for the no-updates! I won't make excuses, since this is all the fault of my own making!

So, here's your long-awaited chapter, and I hope you enjoy this!

This is in Luciano's' point of view, but it will be as if he's talking to you, not thinking.

This took me three hours of hardcore plane writing, if you would believe it. It looked much longer on paper.

This chapter may be a little strange to you, since the tenses aggravate my computer to no end and the tenses mess with my head.

ONCE AGAIN, IT WILL BE LIKE HE'S TALKING TO YOU, but at the same time, HE WILL BE THINKING.

^.^ I am glad we have come to this understanding.

And to be honest with you, I finished this in the summer. -_-'

While it may seem strange for me to do this, I am changing Luciano's age to 14. **So their current ages are Hakou, 12, Luciano, 14.**

* * *

**Hide and Seek**

**Bloodthirsty**

**

* * *

**

**Luciano's' Point of View**

Watching Hakou fight is always amazing, especially since I already know how strong Hakou actually is. He is always the methodical one, the one who takes into account all of his strengths and weaknesses. I don't know what has happened to him in the past to make him so, but whatever it is turned him into a bloodthirsty monster.

Seeing Hakou come off the stage, cool as pie, hands in pockets and traces of blood around his mouth, I realized that bloodthirsty monster really was a good definition of Hakou. His face was usually devoid of emotion, making him hard to read and understand. One really had to know him, and had to be able to read his body language to understand and interpret what he is trying to put across. And his battles are usually horrific. In every fight, Hakou tried to find a way to draw blood. Usually, he succeeded. Not always, but most of the time. I know the blood excites him.

Every time I see him like this, I can't help but remember his double job from a year ago. A man of the name Romero Luc hired us. Luc had heard of us through underground resources, and knew that we promised to be able to act as anybody for the correct fee. The Copy Brothers, we are.

Luc's best fighter, Maryo Ecardo (fighting name 'Kind Mary'), had disappeared. It wouldn't have been all that bad if a big match had not been coming up. And by coming up, I mean it was in two days. It was nice of him to give us time to prepare, right?

Anyway, he had promised to pay us whatever winnings Kind Mary would have gotten. Seeing as Romero Luc was something of a famous figure, we decided that the payout would be good enough. So we accepted.

To help us prepare, he had written in a notebook, which he gave to us once we agreed. The notebook had pictures glued inside of it, with a description of the person. That was just in case the one who was acting as Kind Mary was approached with anybody he knew.

Also inside was an in-depth description of Kind Mary. Fighting style, picture, background, personality, etc… It was too much information for me to process with so little time. I couldn't really capture the bloodthirsty essence of Kind Mary. Hakou could, though, and he got into character with surprising ease. I'd be terrified by the ease, actually, if I didn't know Hakou for the genius that he was.

So Hakou got into character first. That means he's the one who gets to act as Kind Mary. We then went to Jackie Yimmes' house, as was customary. Her strange Hatsu that allowed her to change the appearance of anything and anyone until she says so is rather strange, but we make full use of it.

We paid her the proper amount, and a few minutes later, Hakou was a twenty nine-year-old male with close-cropped black hair and soulless black eyes. Those eyes were kinda freaky, I remember. I felt like they were assessing me every time they saw me. We left Jackie's' house and went over to Luc's apartment.

Romero Luc was, to say the least, surprised when he saw his missing fighter outside his door. His short grey hair practically stood up, I remember. He was then thoroughly shocked when he found out that it was only a disguise. His hair drooped a little when he realized. Strange hair, this man had.

He invited us inside, his hair seeming to motion us in. I think he was still shaken at the likeness, because his hair didn't quite relax. But at least he was civil, because he made us some hot drinks. Lemon flavored. Strange, the little details I remember. His beady little eyes just stared at Hakou unabashed. If it had been me, I'd have been squirming in my chair. But no, Hakou's different.

"So, how is he? Does he pass?" I asked, breaking the near unbearable silence. Luc just nodded mutely, not breaking his one-man staring competition. I could see it then, in Luc's eyes. Admiration and awe. Hakou's does that a lot. Gains respect, that is.

It was then when Romero Luc admitted that Hakou would have to kill in a match-and not just one time, but ten. I wanted to protest, to argue that Hakou could not possibly do all that while keeping in character, but Hakou stopped me.

"That sounds rather interesting. May I enquire as to how much money I get?" Hakou sounded so mature then. It's hard to believe that I'm two years older than him. Every day, I have to remind myself of the age difference when I talk to him.

After we left, Hakou went off on his own, saying that he needed time alone to think of a way to fight as Kind Mary. I took his words at face value and nodded. We promised not to see each other until the match the next day, as we usually do. The surprise is always worth it. I remember being excited to see the Finished Project.

The next day, I walked to my free VIP chair, courtesy of Luc. It was a coliseum type building, with most people standing on levels of stone. When the king would sit in the olden days was where I sat, surrounded by other people who would not be as rowdy as the rest of the crowd.

I began to get worried as I saw the people he was fighting against. All of then I'd heard of from that convenient little bird, and they had some pretty amazing reputations. On top of that, all of them were proficient in Nen. How was Hakou supposed to fight them, kill them? And where was he, anyway?

He arrived late to the match, late enough that the crowd began to get impatient but early enough that none of them had gotten up yet. He walked out of the enclosed hallway sedately, and the crowd went wild. The announcer began to make rapid introductions, and his voice cut over the screams of the crowd. It was pandemonium itself. I was just glad that there was a glass wall that was blocking off a great portion of sound.

"Before we begin, a word or two from the contestants!" The announcer cried. Suddenly, the crowd went dead silent. Even their very breathing was quieted as they all strained foreword to try and hear what was being said in the arena.

Hakou began to giggle a little, and suddenly I knew everything was going to be fine. It's strange, but I did. How? Why? It had been like Hakou was standing next to me, reassuring me with that calm voice of his, not meters away, giggleing like a madman.

Then his giggling stopped, and his eyes turned cold and threatening. "Sorry about that. But when I saw whom I was put up against, I just _had _to laugh. Who does everybody think I am? Some random beggar off the street, untrained and weak? I think not." His opponents got a little ticked off then, understandably. One hothead even took out a knife and waved it at him. Hakou just giggled again, which infuriated the man even more. With a cry, he ran forward with the knife.

Hakou did not make any effort to move, just stood there, cocky as can be. I didn't really understand until two referees ran up with Nen-induced speed and strength and stopped then man from attacking, mere centimeters away from Hakou's' neck.

The referees explained to everyone that false starts were punishable by death, delivered by the would-be recipient of the violator's anger. It seemed a little extreme to me, but the crowd loved it. It sickened me, really.

The attacker's eyes filled with hatred, Hakou stood before him, his eyes flared with insanity. He took the sword given to him by the referees with a nod, and leaded forward, whispering something in the condemned's' ear. He never did tell me what he said, but I can guess. He usually does this after things like that happen, like with that Gimpkin guy.

Hakou raised the sword, and then plunged it into the mans body cleanly. The body visibly slumped, and then, with a sadistic grin on his face, Hakou twisted his sword and ripped it out, causing blood to gush out incessantly. The crowd roared louder, if that was possible. After all, that's what those pigs had come for.

Licking off the blood that had managed to get on his face, Hakou calmly stood up and handed the sword back to the referees, who took it off the arena to their referee box.

"Stupid boy," Hakou said in a loud, malicious voice. "He had such fight in him still, and he threw it all away." He made a little 'tisking' sound, and the crowd roared. The murderers, rapists, marauders, thieves, cloak-and-dagger, scum of the Underworld were all there, roaring for Hakou, loving him. Me, I just felt the slightest bit sick. Not at the blood, because I was used to that. No, it was the bloodthirsty crowd that sent shivers up my spine.

The referees finally blew the whistle, and the battle was on. I used Gyo to understand what was going on behind the scenes. I saw that Hakou was only focusing his considerable amount of Nen at his feet. He wasn't even using Hatsu. Meanwhile, his opponents were preparing their best Nen.

Two of them were materialization, four reinforcement, two emission, and one manipulation. I can do that. I'm not sure how. Each class gives off a special vibe that I can't really put into words. Hakou generally just takes my word for it.

Hakou's eyes flickered towards me and I met his gaze without surprise. Trust him to locate me among the masses. I smirked a little and made the necessary hand signs to tell Hakou the opponents specialties as subtlety as possible. Nobody ever noticed, but I like to keep everything cloak-and-dagger myself. Hakou nodded almost imperceptibly, signifying he had gotten the message, and turned back to face his opponents.

Materialization Guy 1, whose stage name turned out to be Blunt, summoned a giant mace, which he immediately began swinging around in a maelstrom of activity. It eventually landed in the spot that Hakou had been standing on, and Blunt smirked, feeling the match over already, stupid man. The crowd strained their necks to see if there was a flattened, bloody corpse or a completely spotless man.

Because of that, the crowd almost missed when Hakou slit the stunned manipulation user's throat. The man went down with a strangled gurgle.

"If you guys can't dodge an attack like that, you should go back to grade school. You know what they say, quit while you're ahead, ne?" Hakou commented with a sickeningly sweet voice.

The opponents just snarled. I, however, nodded, approving with Hakou's' choice of kill. The surprise attack would only work best once, because after that the others would get their guards up. Manipulation users are difficult to fight against, so it is always best to get them out as quickly as possible. Okay, not always. But usually.

One reinforcement guy ran up to Hakou, and another ran behind Hakou. Blunt and the other materialization user, Slice, was on either side of Hakou. The emission users, Sharpshooter and Boomerang, had themselves and a reinforcement user in front of them a little farther away from the fight.

Hakou just propelled himself in the air to the side, towards the wall, with one giant mega-leap over the stunned Sharpshooter. He then pushed himself off, and with Nen-induced quickness and strength, he sprang forward and concentrated his Nen on both hands, forcing them to become lethal. He hit both Sharpshooter and Boomerang's necks before they could fire, and with a loud and sickening crunch, their necks snapped.

The eager crowd watched Hakou as he methodically dispatched the others. He attacked Slicer first, stealing his Nen-swords. Slicer was promptly knocked out with a solid thump, hilt-to-neck. The swords were essential for blood, of course. And what better way to excite a crowd with a bloodbath?

The emission users were next, but they got no momentary lapse like Slicer did. Close combat was not their forte, and they were unable to keep up with Hakou's amazing speed. Both of them were separated from the lower part of their bodies before the reinforcement user that was supposed to be guarding them realized what was going on.

The reinforcement users, Rock, Smasher, Shovel, and Drill tried in vain to track Hakou's movements. But whenever they struck out, he whisked himself away. They didn't notice that whenever he got close, he stole one of their weapons. Kind of amusing to watch, actually. They were just too focused to realize it. Soon, they all found themselves drawn together, and Blunt, who was still on his lonesome, swinging his mace around, was no match for Hakou. When he realized he was alone he tried to run towards the group, but Hakou got in his way. Valiantly, he swung his unwieldy mace that was only too easy for Hakou to dodge, and deliver death via a sword through the heart.

Hakou became more and more bloodied as time went on. The four reinforcement users found swords thrown at their from all angles. They fended them off easily enough, but Hakou descended from the sky like an angel of death and cleaved two of them in half. Blood spurted out like a fountain, obstructing the other twos' view. Enough time for Hakou to behead them, and then bathe in the ungodly rain of blood. His white clothes became a sickening red, and he laughed at the skies, the gods, death itself, tilting his head back. His victorious figure, I will always remember. His bloodstained face never quite left my mind.

Slicer was quickly dispatched after that, and then, after a few moments of shocked silence, the crowd burst out into a deafening roar never heard before in the arena. I swear I saw Romero Luc begin to weep as he watched Hakou's' figure grin cheekily and bow to the whole audience, before walking out of the arena, blood dripping off his frame and leaving a trail of red.

I was kind of shocked. I had expected something entirely different—what, I don't remember. But certainly, I hadn't expected that. I left the ugly view of the massacre seconds after Hakou did.

* * *

We were paid in full later on, and invited to play the role of Kind Mary again, which I firmly declined that time. "We might be hired killers at some times, but we do not enjoy killing." I said angrily, before I swept out of a stunned Romero Luc's apartment.

Hakou, having returned to his actual form, walked beside me in the streets. He was characteristically quiet, but I felt that something was off. When I asked, he turned to me with a strange expression on his face. It scared me, and still scares me now.

He looked lost.

"Luciano, what if I _enjoyed _killing those men?"

He can't help it, and I can't help him. The one time he reaches out to me, I can be no more than a sympathetic bystander, giving comfort after the damage has been done.

Hakou is bloodthirsty, and sometimes I catch him with a wistful expression on his face as he sees people fighting. He tries not to, but drawing blood in battle makes his very own blood sing and boil in excitement and ecstasy.

I'm sorry, Hakou. That I can't take cure you. That I can't lessen your pain.

That sometimes, I'm a tiny bit scared of you.


End file.
